The 9/11 Tribunal

Stories

13 Stories

June 2009
- US May Execute 9/11 Detainees Without Trials
  
  New York Times | Jun 5, 09 8:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Obama administration may let accused 9/11 terrorists at Guantanamo Bay plead guilty and be executed without facing trial, the New York Times reports. A proposed change in military law, which governs Guantanamo tribunals, would give the alleged attackers what they seek—martyrdom—and avoid trials that could reveal harsh US interrogation techniques. It would also avoid charging the accused in federal court. More »
May 2009
- Obama to Restart Gitmo Tribunals
  
  Associated Press | May 15, 09 6:21 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - President Obama will restart military tribunals for a small number of Guantanamo detainees—reviving a trial system he once said the Bush administration had abused—but with new legal protections for terror suspects, officials said. The trials will remain frozen for another 4 months as the administration adjusts the legal system that is expected to try fewer than 20 of the 241 Guantanamo detainees; 13 are already in the tribunal system. More »
January 2009
- Closing Gitmo Will Be Tough
  
  Christian Science Monitor | Jan 22, 09 1:16 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Barack Obama’s pledge to close Guantanamo Bay has been widely hailed, but it’s not going to be easy, the Christian Science Monitor reports. There’s broad agreement that many detainees can be tried in federal or military courts, while others can be released. But some are deemed too dangerous to release, but can’t be tried because the prosecution would rely on evidence obtained under torture. More »
- 9/11 Accused Admit Guilt at Tribunal
  
  Miami Herald | Jan 19, 09 5:36 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Two suspected Sept. 11 planners calmly declared their guilt today at what could be the final military tribunal session at Guantanamo Bay, the Miami Herald reports. "We are proud of 9/11," said Ramzi bin al Shibh, who announced his plan to plead guilty, the AP reports. Another of five suspects present, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, said the accused did not fear capital punishment. “We are doing jihad for the cause of God," he said. More »
December 2008
- Gitmo Trial Could Pose a Big Dilemma for Obama
  
  Times (UK) | Dec 9, 08 1:49 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - If the trial of alleged 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed carries over into Barack Obama’s presidency, it would mean a “messy” moral decision for the president-elect: Follow through with a Mohammed death sentence, or overturn it and move the Guantanamo case to US courts, writes Bronwen Maddox in the Times of London. The latter choice would uphold Obama’s attacks on the prison but wouldn't solve the problem of information gained through torture. More »
- 9/11 Suspects Withdraw Plea Offers in Fight for Death
  
  Washington Post | Dec 9, 08 4:14 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Five 9/11 suspects yesterday withdrew offers to plead guilty when a military judge warned them that confessions could foil their plans to get the death penalty. A death order may require a military jury conviction, he said. The men want the death penalty so they can die as martyrs. "Are you saying if we plead guilty we will not be sentenced to death?" asked self-described terror mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. "We don't want to waste time." More »
- 9/11 Suspects Ask to Confess
  
  Associated Press | Dec 8, 08 11:08 AM CST
  
  (AP) - Five men charged with plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks told a military judge today they want to immediately confess at their war-crimes tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, setting up likely guilty pleas and their possible executions. The five said they decided to abandon all efforts to defend themselves against the capital charges on Nov. 4, the day Barack Obama was elected to the White House. More »
October 2008
- 9/11 Suspects Denied Internet Access for Defense Prep
  
  Miami Herald | Oct 13, 08 10:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A judge has denied Internet access to five suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay for their involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks, reports the Miami Herald . Three of the five are their own attorneys and requested access to help prepare their defense. The government was ordered to provide enough battery power to allow the suspects to operate their prison laptops 12 hours a day. More »
June 2008
- 9/11 Mastermind Goads Others Into Dropping Lawyers
  
  Washington Post | Jun 6, 08 10:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Self-described superterrorist Khalid Sheik Mohammed proved himself still the mastermind in court yesterday, urging his four co-defendants in the 9/11 plot to drop their lawyers and defend themselves, which all four had done by the end of the day. The Washington Post paints the scene, in which the men are talking, laughing, and joking—until one questions the wisdom of self-defense, and KSM spits back, “What are you, in the American Army now?” More »
- 9/11 Mastermind to Gitmo Judge: Martyr Me
  
  MSNBC | Jun 5, 08 10:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man said to have planned the Sept. 11 attacks, asked a judge to be put to death today, MSNBC reports. During his arraignment at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base a military judge told Mohammed he could face the death penalty. Mohammed replied, “Yes, this is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time.” More »
- Alleged 9/11 Leader Faces Gitmo Tribunal
  
  Washington Post | Jun 5, 08 8:07 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, will be arraigned today at a special military tribunal at Guantánamo Bay, reports the Washington Post . Five years after his arrest in Pakistan, the detainee and four others will appear in a specially designed, $4 million courtroom to face charges of terrorism and "murder in violation of the law of war." More »
February 2008
- US Seeks Death for 6 in 9/11 Case
  
  New York Times | Feb 11, 08 9:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - US authorities are preparing to ask for the death penalty for six suspects in the 9/11 attacks who are detainees at Guantanamo. “If any case warrants it, it would be for individuals who were parties to a crime of that scale,” a Defense Department official told the New York Times yesterday. The six include Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the al-Qaeda operative who says he masterminded the attacks. More »
- US Readies Major 9/11 Trial of Gitmo detainees
  
  New York Times | Feb 9, 08 6:50 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - US military prosecutors are finalizing plans for a major trial against Guantanamo’s 9/11 suspects, sources tell the New York Times. Among those likely to be charged is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has claimed full responsibility for the attacks. “The thinking was 9/11 is the heart and soul of the whole thing. The thinking was: go for that,” one official said. More »